CEO of the OOH company, Leonardo Chebly talks about the purchase, which includes the magazine of the same name, branded content center and Wi-Fi in airports
With a presence in 33 airports in Brazil, NEOOH expands its operations in airport media with the acquisition of 29Horas assets at Congonhas Airport, also taking over the management of 29Horas magazine and creating a branded content center. The company starts to operate advertising spaces in Congonhas, selling media on free Wi-Fi in more than 40 airports in Brazil, including Guarulhos, Congonhas and Braslia, as well as 33 airports abroad.
This year has even more news in store, including the imminent announcement of the acquisition of an unprecedented asset in Latin America, highlighting a year of continuous growth and innovation at NEOOH, reveals CEO Leonardo Chebly. Positioned among the three largest out-of-home companies in the country, NEOOH also operates OOH advertising in more than 60 bus terminals, in addition to urban parks in So Paulo, such as Parque do Ibirapuera and Parque Villa-Lobos. In this interview, Chebly also talks about innovation, such as anamorphic 3D campaigns, and expansion plans.
What assessment does NEOOH make of 2023?
NEOOH had a year marked by growth and expansion, with the acquisition of new strategic assets and the consolidation of new business verticals within our company. We also evolved in the structuring of the company with the entry, at the beginning of the year, of Cristiano Muniz, who took over as co-president and CFO; and Gustavo Silva, who took on the position of CSO (chief sales officer) in mid-2023. This, added to the advanced digitalization of our inventory with 90% of it being digital and a strong second half of the year, made our revenue grow 37% with compared to last year, which had already been the best year in NEOOH’s history.
What were the company’s main achievements during the year?
In 2023, NEOOH reached significant milestones in the expansion of its main vertical, airports, consolidating our national leadership. We won competition from Zurich Airports in Brazil, AENA and Infraero. In Congonhas, NEOOH is completing the expansion of its coverage and digitalization of the terminal’s advertising areas. Furthermore, we now have a majority presence at Santos Dumont Airport, with 100% digital coverage of all areas of the terminal. In the parks vertical, NEOOH added Parque Villa-Lobos and four more urban parks in So Paulo, from the company Reserva Parques, to its portfolio. The transport vertical was also expanded with the acquisition of the Florianpolis Urban Terminals, the latter resulting from the acquisition of the company Info TV. NEOOH has now completed the acquisition of the assets of the company 29 Horas at Congonhas Airport, also taking over the management of the 29Horas magazine and creating a branded content center. This year has even more news in store, including the imminent announcement of the acquisition of a new asset in Latin America, highlighting a year of continuous growth and innovation at NEOOH.
And what were the challenges faced throughout 2023?
The main challenge for NEOOH in 2023 was the implementation of the more than 180 assets acquired in 2022, as well as the integration of all additional assets acquired throughout 2023. This continuous growth process required a substantial effort in terms of team expansion , resulting in an increase of more than 30% in the number of employees in all areas of the company.
How long has NEOOH existed, what is its origin and history of evolution from then to now?
NEOOH was launched in 2020, emerging as an evolution of JChebly Group’s out-of-home media operation. This launch marked a significant new chapter for the company, solidifying its position in the national OOH media scenario. In its four years of existence, NEOOH has faced notable challenges, especially with two of those years being heavily impacted by the pandemic. Despite these obstacles, the company has demonstrated impressive growth, expanding its portfolio from 19 to over 350 assets. This aggressive expansion, in a period of adversity for the sector, positioned NEOOH as one of the three largest OOH media companies in Brazil, highlighting its ability to grow and adapt in a relatively short period and under challenging circumstances.
Why are airport media and bus terminals the company’s main focuses? In how many of them is it present?
NEOOH has 33 airports throughout Brazil, standing out as the only company present in four of the country’s five largest airports and the isolated leader in the segment. As for bus terminals, NEOOH operates exclusively in more than 60 of them throughout Brazil, including key locations such as Tiet Bus Terminal, in So Paulo (the largest bus terminal in Latin America); Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Brasilia. Airports are considered strategic assets by NEOOH, as they concentrate a large volume of qualified audiences, both at work and leisure times. These spaces provide ideal waiting and retention times for out-of-home media to be efficiently assimilated and absorbed by the public. At the same time, bus terminals share similar characteristics in terms of large flow of people, retention time and the possibility of greater public interaction with OOH media, making them also strategic assets for the company’s operations.
